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Studying at Cardiff University
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accommodation for 2nd year students

Hello!
Does anyone know any usefull site or can give some tips on where to find accommodation for sencond year students, as i've heard that after the first year, students can no longer apply for the residential halls. Do people from cardiff university help you through this process or are you on your own?
Thank you
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by effie13
Hello!
Does anyone know any usefull site or can give some tips on where to find accommodation for sencond year students, as i've heard that after the first year, students can no longer apply for the residential halls. Do people from cardiff university help you through this process or are you on your own?
Thank you


The Student's union has it's own letting agency (bottom floor of the SU), which unlike lots of the other agencies does not charge agency fees, so you'll save money if you find a house with them. Apart from that the uni won't help you really, but everyone is in the same boat so it's not too scary :smile:. This site is quite good for getting advice about living in private accomodation: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Advice:
- Don't rush into a house in terms of the house itself and who you live with - the agencies will try to tell you that all the good houses will go by Christmas, which is absolutely 100% not true! By all means start looking around December-Jan but there's no need to make any hasty decisions until a few months later if you haven't found the house for you.

- Try to letting agencies that don't charge agency fees first (agency fees are simply a fee per person to make the house yours, on top of rent and deposits etc, so are effectively a complete con). Most agencies charge this fee so you might ed up having to pay it, but at least try to SU agency before doing so.

- When you view houses ask the tenants if they've had any issues - they're much more likely to tell you the truth than the person trying to let the house.

- You can barter the price down (especially if it's later on in the year). Don't ask, don't get :smile:


Hope that's in some way helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions. I live in Talybont and then 3 different student houses in Cathays and Roath for the rest of my degree, so know a fair bit about house hunting in that area.
Studying at Cardiff University
Cardiff University
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This is the SU letting agency site: http://www.cardiffstudentletting.com/
Reply 3
Original post by Daniellecorni5h
This is the SU letting agency site: http://www.cardiffstudentletting.com/


Thank you so much! Although I'm attending cardiff next year ( I'm going for colum hall or south taly) i just got a bit worried about that issue , but thanks a lot for the information, it seems really helpful! I will definetily follow your tips :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by Daniellecorni5h
The Student's union has it's own letting agency (bottom floor of the SU), which unlike lots of the other agencies does not charge agency fees, so you'll save money if you find a house with them. Apart from that the uni won't help you really, but everyone is in the same boat so it's not too scary :smile:. This site is quite good for getting advice about living in private accomodation: http://www.cardiffdigs.co.uk/

Advice:
- Don't rush into a house in terms of the house itself and who you live with - the agencies will try to tell you that all the good houses will go by Christmas, which is absolutely 100% not true! By all means start looking around December-Jan but there's no need to make any hasty decisions until a few months later if you haven't found the house for you.

- Try to letting agencies that don't charge agency fees first (agency fees are simply a fee per person to make the house yours, on top of rent and deposits etc, so are effectively a complete con). Most agencies charge this fee so you might ed up having to pay it, but at least try to SU agency before doing so.

- When you view houses ask the tenants if they've had any issues - they're much more likely to tell you the truth than the person trying to let the house.

- You can barter the price down (especially if it's later on in the year). Don't ask, don't get :smile:


Hope that's in some way helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions. I live in Talybont and then 3 different student houses in Cathays and Roath for the rest of my degree, so know a fair bit about house hunting in that area.


Thanks a lot for the advice! :smile:
You might think I’m crazy since I’m attending Cardiff next year , but I just got worried about that issue and just wanted to know a little bit more about that ,but I’m definitely not planning anything yet! Currently I’m searching info on the uni halls. (so excited!) :smile:
ohh and btw i wonder why everyone is going for taly while it is much further from cathays park and i heard that the bathrooms are "wet room" type, whereas i searched that colum hall is much closer (especially to the chemistry department) with proper bathrooms, I just hope the rooms aren’t smaller than in taly. I have also seen a lot of negative reviews mentioning that talys old rooms are terrible if you’re put in one of them and that the reception is also pretty bad if something brakes or occures.
I haven’t heard much about colum though ( i hope thats a good sign) ,apart from the fact that it is less social than taly and less noisy. Did you find it better in Cathays? What would you suggest?
Thanks a lot again :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by effie13
Thanks a lot for the advice! :smile:
You might think I’m crazy since I’m attending Cardiff next year , but I just got worried about that issue and just wanted to know a little bit more about that ,but I’m definitely not planning anything yet! Currently I’m searching info on the uni halls. (so excited!) :smile:
ohh and btw i wonder why everyone is going for taly while it is much further from cathays park and i heard that the bathrooms are "wet room" type, whereas i searched that colum hall is much closer (especially to the chemistry department) with proper bathrooms, I just hope the rooms aren’t smaller than in taly. I have also seen a lot of negative reviews mentioning that talys old rooms are terrible if you’re put in one of them and that the reception is also pretty bad if something brakes or occures.
I haven’t heard much about colum though ( i hope thats a good sign) ,apart from the fact that it is less social than taly and less noisy. Did you find it better in Cathays? What would you suggest?
Thanks a lot again :smile:


I lived in Taly South and would definitely recommend living in Taly over any of the others (but obviously I'm biased). Taly is the biggest complex of halls so you get a really nice community feel and it's easy to make friends and meet up with people from other houses as everything is so close. Yes, there are halls closer, e.g.colum road - but these are much smaller and generally agreed to be less sociable (but this obviously dpeends on the luck of the draw of who you get in your house/flat). Colum hall is very convenient - you could leave less than ten minutes, probably five minutes, before chemistry lectures :smile: Whereas taly is 20 mins minimum.

I'm not sure about the bathrooms as I've only seen the taly ones. They are wet rooms, which can be a bit annoying as the floor will be wet if you've had a shower and later want to use the toilet or sink....but it wasn't much of a worry for me.

In terms of noisiness - yes colum is seen as less sociable, but it's also on the main road that students walk along on their way to and from nights out in town - and because of this it can be very noisy. I've heard rumour that girls get put on the opposite side of the halls (facing bute park rather than colum road), so that would be quieter - but I'm not sure how much truth there is in that! Talybont can be quiet if you get a room on the park side, or noisy if you're in the middle with students passing by at night, OR noisy if you're by the railway line. So it really is luck! I was by the railway line so luckily didn't have the noisy students passing my window at 3/4am. The trains were noisy but you get used to it and stop noticing it after about a week.

So to sum up: my advice is to go for Taly - everyone I've spoken to about it seems to have had fun there. Colum is only small so by all means put it down as one of your first choices, but you're fairly likely to not get it and end up in a bigger one like taly or uni halls anyway (that's what happened to me and I'm glad I didn't get colum even though that was one of my top choices). Between those two is up to you but DON'T PICK UNI HALLS - I've never met anyone who enjoys the buses to and from there.....
Reply 6
Oh thats for sure, uni halls are terrible! they are really far away and i heard that the bus is not so often!
You're right that i dont have much chance of getting in colum since it only accepts a limited number of students, but i was hoping that if i aply for it sooner it may be unconditional sooner ,so i might actualy make it there. (fingers crossed) . I'm thinking of putting
south taly as a second option as it;s way better than north (or at least thats what i heard)
But generally i dont think that colum is less social, it really just depends on each student. :smile:
I dont really mind going to south taly , i just hope its not so loud because i really cant concentrate with too much noise!
Reply 7
ooh and i;ve heard that colum doesnt have a laundry room, but is says that there are many places nearby for this.
Do you know what places i can have access to for laundry ? I heard the closest place is Aberconway hall (hope laundry services aren;t too expensive)
Original post by effie13
ooh and i;ve heard that colum doesnt have a laundry room, but is says that there are many places nearby for this.
Do you know what places i can have access to for laundry ? I heard the closest place is Aberconway hall (hope laundry services aren;t too expensive)


The prices are here http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/for/prospective/international/coming-to-cardiff/before-you-arrive/money-and-finances/how-much-do-laundry-facilities-cost.html

and this page seems to say aberdare is the laundry that should be used by colum students http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/for/current/accommodation/facilities-services/pdf/Laundry.pdf
Reply 9


Thanks, i overlooked that part in the uni site
Reply 10
this is kinda random but do you know if you can have access to the kitchen if you choose part-catered (or at least be able to use the fridge) ? Because it only provides meals from mon - fri and like where can you eat at weekends?
Original post by effie13
this is kinda random but do you know if you can have access to the kitchen if you choose part-catered (or at least be able to use the fridge) ? Because it only provides meals from mon - fri and like where can you eat at weekends?


No idea about that, sorry. I can't remember ever speaking to anyone who wasn't in self-catered!
Reply 12
ooh .. i also wanted to ask about the bus prices (anual ) for student. For example , from cartwright court to the main building it says to take the bus no.52 , but with the iff card can i have access to the other buses to get to the other halls (e.g. talybont ) ?
What is the price for travelling within the Cardiff fare zone (I dont think i will taking the Bary zone) for us students? hope there are discounts :smile:
Original post by effie13
this is kinda random but do you know if you can have access to the kitchen if you choose part-catered (or at least be able to use the fridge) ? Because it only provides meals from mon - fri and like where can you eat at weekends?

I'm part-catered and we have a full kitchen. It's a little smaller than in other halls but we can still survive on weekends but we have to cook in intervals as we can't all fit in the kitchen whilst cooking.
Reply 14
Original post by ThePhoenixLament
I'm part-catered and we have a full kitchen. It's a little smaller than in other halls but we can still survive on weekends but we have to cook in intervals as we can't all fit in the kitchen whilst cooking.


hey! :smile:
thanks, i was considering part-catered, but since you will still have to buy kitchen utensils and food to cook for the weekends and during vacations, i might as well go for self-catered and get it over with it ! ( I mean its pretty much the same thing, since part catered only saves you time in the week, )
thanks
Reply 15
hey!
Does anyone use the bus or is it not worth getting that iff card whatever. I mean isn't it pretty cold to walk to your classes or to other residences or even to do your weekly shopping in the winter? Does it snow or rain a lot in cardiff?
Oohh and what about that anual bus pass that the uni provides us for 210 pounds, is it only between campuses? For example is it also available for those who live in residences that are off-campus ( like cartwright court) ?
thanks a lot
Reply 16
Original post by Daniellecorni5h
I lived in Taly South and would definitely recommend living in Taly over any of the others (but obviously I'm biased). Taly is the biggest complex of halls so you get a really nice community feel and it's easy to make friends and meet up with people from other houses as everything is so close. Yes, there are halls closer, e.g.colum road - but these are much smaller and generally agreed to be less sociable (but this obviously dpeends on the luck of the draw of who you get in your house/flat). Colum hall is very convenient - you could leave less than ten minutes, probably five minutes, before chemistry lectures :smile: Whereas taly is 20 mins minimum.

I'm not sure about the bathrooms as I've only seen the taly ones. They are wet rooms, which can be a bit annoying as the floor will be wet if you've had a shower and later want to use the toilet or sink....but it wasn't much of a worry for me.

In terms of noisiness - yes colum is seen as less sociable, but it's also on the main road that students walk along on their way to and from nights out in town - and because of this it can be very noisy. I've heard rumour that girls get put on the opposite side of the halls (facing bute park rather than colum road), so that would be quieter - but I'm not sure how much truth there is in that! Talybont can be quiet if you get a room on the park side, or noisy if you're in the middle with students passing by at night, OR noisy if you're by the railway line. So it really is luck! I was by the railway line so luckily didn't have the noisy students passing my window at 3/4am. The trains were noisy but you get used to it and stop noticing it after about a week.

So to sum up: my advice is to go for Taly - everyone I've spoken to about it seems to have had fun there. Colum is only small so by all means put it down as one of your first choices, but you're fairly likely to not get it and end up in a bigger one like taly or uni halls anyway (that's what happened to me and I'm glad I didn't get colum even though that was one of my top choices). Between those two is up to you but DON'T PICK UNI HALLS - I've never met anyone who enjoys the buses to and from there.....


hey!
I was wondering since you have lived in halls, if you could give any info about aberconway hall. I'm thinking of putting colum hall for my first choice and i'm stuck between aberconway hall and cartwright court for my second choice, since they are both semi- ensuite and have the same price.

However,in the pictures in cardiff's site in aberconway the desks are small and ppl there complain about the noise. Have you seen the rooms? Is it true? And which of the two would you recommend?
(btw I've heard that in cartwright court the desks and rooms are bigger , although they are further away from uni than aberconway)
thanks :smile:
Original post by effie13
hey!
I was wondering since you have lived in halls, if you could give any info about aberconway hall. I'm thinking of putting colum hall for my first choice and i'm stuck between aberconway hall and cartwright court for my second choice, since they are both semi- ensuite and have the same price.

However,in the pictures in cardiff's site in aberconway the desks are small and ppl there complain about the noise. Have you seen the rooms? Is it true? And which of the two would you recommend?
(btw I've heard that in cartwright court the desks and rooms are bigger , although they are further away from uni than aberconway)
thanks :smile:


I haven't been in either so can't help - sorry!
Reply 18
its ok thanks

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